What is it about Senator Barack Obama that makes him a particularly timely and relevant candidate for America at this stage in our relationship with the world? The major task of the next president will be to redefine America's role in the world, moving away from a conventional state-to-state, balance-of-power approach to one that is more in tune with the challenges of our time.
Senator Obama's early opposition to the war in Iraq is well known, but his opposition to the war is related to a more general concern that America is bungling its global leadership role. His candidacy gives America the opportunity to redefine its relationship with the world because he takes a global approach to our challenges rather than a more domestically oriented one. That global approach comes from a man who at an early age lived abroad, learned a foreign language, and was raised by parents who themselves were foreign or desired to live in a foreign country.
This global approach expresses itself in a number of his specific principles and policies. First, Senator Obama's concept of "common security for our common humanity" is consistent with the threats we face today. Terrorism, pandemic disease, climate change, and WMD proliferation cannot be contained by borders and walls. As he puts it, "the security and well being of every American depends on the security and well-being of those who live beyond our borders." While we must secure the homeland -- Senator Obama has introduced legislation to strengthen chemical plant and drinking water security and enhance disaster preparedness -- doing so is only part of the answer to making America secure. We must also address the root causes of terrorism, advance America's credibility abroad and solve core political conflicts out of which terrorists emerge.
Second, Senator Obama does not underestimate threats, nor does he demonize adversaries. Of course Iran and Syria pursue agendas repugnant to Americans. As shown by the Cold War, however, American interests are advanced by direct negotiation with adversaries, not self-imposed isolation. As Senator Obama has said, "it's time to turn the page on Washington's conventional wisdom that agreement must be reached before you meet, that talking to other countries is some kind of reward, and that Presidents can only meet with people who tell them what they want to hear."
Third, we must rely on genuine partnerships to meet global challenges. While the Bush White House has declared that the divide in transatlantic relationships has diminished, there remains a substantial strategic gap between America and Europe. That gap stems from a differing definition of what a "partnership" is. The administration took the approach that partnership means sharing the burden; Germany and France were especially criticized because of their ability and their subsequent refusal to do so.
For Europeans, partnership means shared decision-making. Leaders in the EU are disposed to decisions based on consensus, not unilateral action. The "you're with us or against us" strategy is not consistent with the concept of partnership. We need to renew the unity of purpose and a shared understanding of the threats with transatlantic partners and others. As we define an objective through consensus, European countries will step up their commitment in places like Afghanistan, without the burdensome restrictions that have hampered NATO's efforts.
As America joins partners abroad, we must also address two-party politics at home. A key part of Senator Obama's global approach is his return to bipartisanship in foreign policy. His tackling of the WMD challenge is consistent with that approach. He has worked across the aisle with Senator Lugar to address the challenge of nuclear proliferation, sponsoring legislation to help the U.S. and allies detect and stop smuggling of WMDs.
To succeed in Iraq and elsewhere, our approach must be the product of genuine bipartisan collaboration. From the beginning of the Iraq misadventure, such cooperation has failed to happen. It is the first war in modern American history conducted that way; even Vietnam saw efforts towards bipartisan consultation.
His candidacy alone tells you something about Senator Obama and America. But the broader significance of his candidacy is the global approach he takes to challenges we face today.
